Talking Points: Visa-Free Europe Travel for Americans (March 3, 2017)

Talking Points – Visa-Free Europe Travel for Americans

Copyright © 2017 – Travel Leaders Group LLC. All rights reserved.

The following Talking Points can be used in conversations with the media and clients who have questions about travel to Europe. (March 3, 2017)

1. Americans can still travel to all countries within the European Union (EU) without a visa, despite a non-binding EU Parliamentary vote requesting an end to visa-free travel.

2. We are here to assist our clients; their safety and well-being is our top priority.

3. We provide the facts so our clients can make informed decisions about their travel plans.

Below you will find additional information, supporting material and statistics to help further illustrate each talking point.

1. Americans can still travel to all countries within the European Union (EU) without a visa, despite a non-binding EU Parliamentary vote requesting an end to visa-free travel.

 American travelers with a valid U.S. passport can visit all 28 countries in the EU without a visa. There has be no change in this policy.

 On March 2, 2017, the European Parliament “passed a nonbinding resolution calling for the reintroduction of visa requirements for American citizens, raising the stakes in a long-running battle over the United States’ refusal to grant visa-free access to citizens of five European Union countries,” reported The New York Times.

o It is important to note that the vote was on a non-binding resolution, meaning there is no change in visa requirements at this time.

o No actions will be taken unless the European Commission decides to debate the matter.

o The vote was because reciprocity of visa-free travel does not extend to individuals from Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania wishing to visit the United States.

o Also according to The New York Times, “European officials in Brussels have balked at making travel to Europe more difficult for Americans, saying doing so would have an economic cost and would most likely not even resolve the hurdles facing citizens of the five affected countries.”

 According to Reuters, “The European Commission stressed it was pursuing a diplomatic resolution to the row, leaving it unlikely that it would act on the vote by lawmakers setting a May deadline to impose visas – a move that could hurt Europe’s tourism sector.”

o “Commission officials noted a planned EU-U.S. ministerial meeting on June 15 to try and resolve the issue, which has been running since 2014. The EU executive already allowed a deadline for a solution to pass nearly a year ago, without taking action.”

o “’We will report on further progress made before the end of June and continue to work closely with both the European Parliament and the Council,’ a Commission spokeswoman said, referring to the council which groups the governments of the 28 EU member states.”

 

 The Wall Street Journal reports that “Imposing visas on U.S. travelers would have a negative impact on the European economy, as 27.4 million U.S. citizens visited the continent last year, an 8% increase compared with the year before.”

2. We are here to assist our clients; their safety and well-being is our top priority.

 Whether traveling domestically or internationally, our number one priority is always our clients’ safety and well-being.

 As professional travel agents, we are trained to monitor a variety of situations, from weather delays to political protests, that may impact our clients’ travel plans. As such, we are also in a position to work on alternative travel plans and have those in place the moment the need arises.

 We strongly encourage all of our clients, whether they are traveling domestically or internationally, to purchase travel insurance, particularly right at the same time as travel has been booked. Travel insurance offers an additional layer of protection for travelers and can potentially help save a traveler hundreds or thousands of dollars if a medical or travel emergency occurs.

3. We provide the facts so our clients can make informed decisions about their travel plans.

 We closely monitor the latest news and weather updates, as well as the U.S. State Department website, for travel alerts and travel warnings for all destinations, including those that are most popular with our clients.

 Should we become aware of an issue for a specific destination, we alert clients who may be planning to travel so they can determine for themselves if they still wish to continue with their original travel plans

 Also, should we become aware of an issue for a specific destination where a client is currently located, we try to immediately contact the client to check on their well-being and work to assist them if they require alternate travel arrangements.

 We believe in providing the facts as we know them to our clients so they may make informed decisions regarding every aspect of their travel plans.

 It’s in situations like these that the traveling public understands how it pays to have someone serving as their advocate.